Let's Do...A Movie Review: The Hunger Games

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Hello, dear readers,

I understand that the The Hunger Games series of novels, by Suzanne Collins, has a huge following. I decided to rebel against society and see the movie without reading the books first. It was rather nice, actually, not having to worry about the movie being different from the books, seeing as I hadn't read them. Granted, I allowed the book to be spoiled for me before going out to the theater.

The premise, as most of you already know, is that there are 12 districts that each have to send a male and female tribute to participate in the Hunger Games. This is an event that happens once a year, and is the result of an agreement between the districts and the Capitol after the districts rebelled years before. The tributes are supposed to kill each other, and only one will be victorious. The games are broadcast on TV for the districts to watch. Katniss Everdeen is the main character, and she volunteers as tribute instead of her little sister, who is initially picked. I hope I'm getting this right; please correct me if I'm muddling the details. I just don't have the desire to look up more information, and this is what I understood from the film. I'm sure everyone else probably knows better than I do about what happens in the books.

I have to say, the acting was impressive; it goes without saying that Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen) is a very talented actress. I love Stanley Tucci (the Hunger Games show's host), and the rest of the cast was great as well. I think everyone involved in the movie did a great job of capturing all the emotions coursing through the characters as they waited to see who would be called as tribute, and then as the tributes had to hide in the woods and search for the others. There was a fair amount of humor in the beginning, and then it all got sucked away by the games.

There was a very clear sense that this was a horribly sadistic game of survival, and the amount of violence disgusted me, so it definitely did a wonderful job of evoking the right emotions. The only thing I couldn't take seriously was the romance, mostly because there wasn't much development of it. As I understand it, in the novel Katniss treats the romance with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) as just a ploy to get sponsors, whereas in the movie it's actually a mutual affection. Also, who would be thinking about relationships when she was fighting to the death and praying she wouldn't be murdered in her sleep?

The film editing and camera angles were brilliant as well, adding even more depth to the sense of urgency and terror in the game. There were a lot of extreme close-ups of the characters and parallel editing in order to allow the audience to feel what the characters were feeling.

Overall, this was a very good film. The cinematography and acting were fantastic, and the violence, though utterly repulsive and upsetting, gave a very clear idea of the horror of these games. The costumes and set design were very visually appealing as well, especially the fire dress and the wacky outfits from the Capitol. The weakness in the movie was the forced romance of Katniss and Peeta, which caused one of my friends and I to erupt into (silent) fits of laughter. [Side note: I got really sick of hearing, "May the odds be ever in your favor." I get that it's an ironic line; stop repeating it!]

According to the other friend with whom I saw The Hunger Games, this film stayed extremely loyal to the plot of the book. If you loved the books, I'm guessing you'll like this movie. If you can't stand violence, don't watch this. I don't plan to read the books because I don't want to have to conjure up my own images of children murdering each other, not to mention I can't understand why Collins would write a book like this. However, I did enjoy the film, and I will see the rest of the series in theaters if they're being made into movies. I think they are.

I have to say, though, I will never love a young adult series as much as Harry Potter. Just had to put that out there.

Apologies for excess rambling and lack of expertise on the series.

Have you read the books and/or seen this movie? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Happy Hunger Games.


xEsther

Let's Do...A Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Hello, dear readers,

I have one word to describe this particular film: brilliant. I saw this two weeks ago, I believe, at one of the few theaters in the area that plays "artsy" films. I find it highly upsetting that the mainstream theaters stereotype these films as ones that no one will want to see, therefore leaving us cinephiles to go out of our way to see a movie that is not a blockbuster.

Anyway, here's what one website for the film has to say about the plot:

SYNOPSIS

This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. It stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, and Carla Bruni among others.

In my opinion this is a fairly lousy synopsis.

This movie is really about a man named Gil Pender (the fabulous Owen Wilson) learning to live in the 2000s and discovering what he wants in life through taking a trip into the past. All this is, indeed, done while on vacation with his fiancée, Inez (the lovely Rachel McAdams) and her parents in Paris. Almost immediately the audience can see that Gil and Inez are of completely different mindsets. Sure, they're attracted to each other and they seem to be in love, but Gil is in love with the Paris of the 1920s, and is trying desperately to write a novel about a nostalgia shop, while Inez yearns for That life of glamour that Gil will be able to provide her as a Hollywood screenwriter.

It's almost impossible to review this movie without giving a spoiler away, though I don't consider this a spoiler. So here's a little space for you to decide whether to keep reading the next paragraph, skip to the end, or stop reading.

Does this provide enough space?

Essentially, Gil decides to walk home one night rather than going dancing with Inez and her friends, and, while sitting on the steps after losing his way, the clock strikes midnight and a twenties-style car rolls up and invites him in. Inside, Gil is driven to a hopping flapper party where he meets literary figures such as the Fitzgeralds, and piano and song man Cole Porter. 

He begins going out every midnight, meeting and greeting literary figures and getting feedback on his novel from Gertrude Stein herself (Kathy Bates). Along with getting help for his novel, he also meets a beautiful mistress of artistic men of that time period who teaches him what love should be like. 

From the dreamy opening shots of Paris in the rain, through the gorgeous scenery of 1920s hotspots and the fabulous score full of 20s hits and a memorable theme, this is an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. Top that off with spectacular acting by Wilson, who plays a character reminiscent of director Woody Allen himself, [as there always is one in Allen's films] and a really fantastic cast all around.

This movie entices instantly and makes you care about Gil. It's not really romantic in the sense of a typical boy meets girl; lots of laughter and strife happens in between; boy ends up with girl. It is, however, a tale of self-discovery focusing mainly on Gil's character alone. All the other characters, major or minor, serve to help him resolve his inner conflicts. 

Lots of laughs will be had, though I'm usually one of those people to be the only one laughing in the theater [sorry theater goers; I honestly cannot help it], and there are some poignant moments as well, but nothing is sad about this film.

All in all, I loved it. Sorry for the scatterbrained review. I actually starting writing this a day after seeing the film, and it was probably more organized in my head then.

Anyway, if you get a chance, do go see this film. It's a winner in my eyes.

To drifting into movie worlds...for an hour or two...

xEsther

Images from:  

http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com/movie-reviews/woody-allens-new-movie-midnight-in-paris

http://wallpapers.brothersoft.com/midnight-in-paris-64597.html